ABSTRACT Background Meditation practices have been found to improve both cognitive and psychological functions related, in particular, to attention and well-being in both healthy people and those with chronic health conditions, including stroke. Considering the range of cognitive and psychosocial consequences in people with post-stroke aphasia, meditation has been identified as a potential rehabilitative

ABSTRACT Background The law is leading a cultural shift away from medical paternalism towards shared decision-making with patients. A person’s ability to make decisions about their care and treatment is regulated through mental capacity law in the UK. A verbal interview is used to judge a person’s capacity. People with aphasia (PwA) may retain the cognitive ability to make decisions but have difficulty

ABSTRACT Background Although facilitated group conversations for aphasia are a popular practice within contemporary clinical aphasiology, only a small number of published studies have shed some light on how interaction occurs in this setting. One aspect of aphasia group conversation that has been mentioned in the literature but that has not yet been the focus of intensive study is participation management

ABSTRACT Background Research investigating public awareness of aphasia internationally shows limited awareness and knowledge. This is concerning because the literature suggests that awareness of aphasia contributes to the health, community participation and psychosocial wellbeing of people with aphasia and their families. Increased awareness promotes inclusion and influences investment in research

Background In the last decades technologies have started to be integrated into language rehabilitation, but more recently many innovations have been included in the health field, especially the use of virtual reality (VR) and mobile devices. Aim The present review aims to investigate the use and efficacy of innovative technology-based interventions for language rehabilitation in post-stroke patients

Background It is not conclusively explored what kind of reorganisation processes are set off after a stroke with resulting aphasia. Since the development of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), linguistic processes and their neural representation have been researched, especially in aphasic patients after left hemispheric insult. The situation differs in aphasic patients with crossed aphasia

Background: Early recognition of post stroke aphasia is thought to be crucial to plan effective rehabilitation. The Aachener Aphasie Bedside Test (AABT) is a widely-used tool for aphasia assessment in acute phase. The AABT was translated into Italian (I-AABT) in 2011, but its psychometric properties had not yet been studied. Aims: The aims of the study were to assess the I-AABT 1) short-term test-retest

Background Stroke survivors with aphasia often experience reduced psychosocial well-being. Intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAPs) are an ideal model in which to treat persons with aphasia (PWAs) to improve both cognitive-linguistic impairments and psychosocial well-being. Aims To investigate the impact of a university-based ICAP on psychosocial well-being using measures of depression, aphasia-related

Background: Verb and sentence processing impairments are frequently observed in people with aphasia (PWA). However, patterns of impairment (i.e. combinations of deficits that are revealed by arrays of tasks) are usually investigated at the group level, by selecting groups of patients with specific aphasia types (e.g., non-fluent variants with signs of agrammatism), or in case-series with relatively

Background: Aphasia research has been informed by linguistic theory to a great extent. Conversely, linguistic theory has also been informed by data from people with aphasia, albeit to a lesser extent. Aims: This overview to the Special Issue of Aphasiology entitled “Aphasia and linguistic theory: What we have captured so far” presents a narrative review that aims to illustrate the contribution of linguistic

(2020). Publisher’s note. Aphasiology: Vol. 34, No. 8, pp. 1111-1111.

Background Aphasia affects approximately one-third of stroke survivors and has a significant impact on their health-related quality of life (HRQL). Aims This study assessed the psychometric properties of HRQL instruments and related constructs designed for use in people with aphasia (PWA) for use in individual clients or clinical trials, i.e., individual-level and group-level decision-making, respectively

Background In 2015, researchers called for the preferred use of the term “aphasia” and the elimination of the term “dysphasia”. They determined that speech-language pathologists, researchers and consumer organizations prefer the term “aphasia”. However, individuals with aphasia, their family members and friends are faced with a probably unknown disorder and may rely on the internet to provide the information

Background Storytelling is fundamental to human communication yet is under-represented in aphasia therapy research and clinical practice. Access to care may be one obstacle; in the broader healthcare context, remote modes of treatment delivery can increase individuals’ access to care. EVA Park is a highly novel, online platform designed with people with aphasia that has shown capacity to improve aspects

Background Both reading speed and comprehension at the text level are often impaired in people with aphasia, potentially impacting their daily life. Provision of advance context (e.g., pictures provided to the reader prior to reading) is found to facilitate text processing and comprehension in typical readers. However, there has been no investigation of whether advance context influences reading in

Background The ability to efficiently select specific aspects of our semantic representations that are relevant for current goals or the context is supported by semantic control processes (controlled semantic cognition framework). This semantic control component is impaired in patients with semantic aphasia, who have multimodal semantic impairment following left hemisphere stroke and are highly sensitive

Background The severity of post-stroke aphasia has also been reported to be less in bilingual patients compared to their monolingual counterparts Aim To analyze the effect of bilingualism on aphasia recovery during the early post-stroke phase. Methods Bengali version of Western Aphasia Battery (WAB)was used for language assessment. It was administered during the first week and 90–100 days post-stroke

Background Improvement in daily life activities such as conversation has been prioritized by people with aphasia, which has led to an increased interest in developing and evaluating therapies that target conversation abilities. However, many questions remain about reliable and valid procedures for examining outcomes related to conversation. In this paper, we detail a procedure for quantifying conversational

Background Therapeutic songwriting (TSW) is an activity used with people who have neurological and psychological conditions. TSW can act as a tool for assisting people with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) struggling to regain coherence and meaning amidst the psychosocial sequelae that often accompanies this chronic, progressive medical condition. With help from a facilitating clinician, TSW addresses

Background Aphasia negatively impacts face-to-face social participation and the difficulties that people experience using the phone exacerbate these challenges in staying in touch with family and friends. Videoconferencing enables multimodal communication, and teamed with supported conversation, could facilitate access to conversation and thereby increase social participation for people with chronic

Background Attention deficits frequently accompany language impairments in aphasia. Most research on attention in aphasia focuses on selective attention measured by executive control tasks such as the color-word Stroop or Erickson flanker. This is despite ample evidence in neurotypical adults indicating the existence of multiple, distinct attention subtypes. Thus, there is a disconnect between the

Introduction Few self-administered outcome measures are available for communication partner training (CPT) programs for aphasia. The Aphasia Attitudes, Strategies, and Knowledge (AASK) survey was developed to align with and evaluate three key ingredients of the Supported Conversation for adults with Aphasia (SCA™) communication partner training model. The AASK is a new, clinically feasible tool that

Background Recovery from stroke-related aphasia follows different stages, evolving from the acute and subacute phase (< 6 months post stroke) into the chronic phase (> 6 months post stroke). In general, phonology remains tenaciously disturbed, making it a relevant language marker to assess in every stage of recovery. The classical behavioural evaluation of phonological abilities in patients with aphasia

ABSTRACT Background Apraxia of speech (AOS) can be caused by neurodegenerative disease and sometimes is its presenting sign (i.e., primary progressive apraxia of speech, PPAOS). During the last several decades, our understanding of PPAOS has evolved from clinical recognition to a fuller understanding of its core and associated clinical features, its distinction from but relationship with primary progressive

Background Several studies have revealed an association between stress and language in nonclinical and aphasia groups. Laughter is considered to be an important contributor to physical and mental health including physiological and self-reported perceived stress. Simulated laughter programs, such as Laughter Yoga (LY), are a way to engage a person in the act of laughter without a humorous stimulus.

Background Several studies on agrammatic aphasia have suggested a selective deficit in the production and processing of temporal reference to the past. To account for this pattern of performance, the PAst DIscourse LIinking Hypothesis was formulated (PADILIH). The PADILIH assumes an impairment of discourse-linking operations in agrammatic aphasia, which manifests in greater difficulty with reference

Background The Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) is one of the most widely used batteries for assessing people with aphasia. Despite longstanding use, it is unclear how the individual components of the battery contribute to the aphasia quotient (AQ), which profiles aphasia severity. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to explore the individual contributions of the four major components (Spontaneous

Background Within the last four decades, individuals with aphasia have been observed to face difficulties in understanding complex sentences despite having good understanding of single words. The difficulties observed have been proposed to follow a pattern predicted by the theory of grammar, making the deficit a special case of an underspecified language competence. Aims The purpose of this study is

Background Notable positive change arising from the struggle with a major crisis (known as posttraumatic growth – PTG) has been reported following war, accidents and life-threatening illnesses. Whilst negative changes following aphasia are well-documented, positive changes, such as PTG, have not been sufficiently explored. Aims To determine whether people with aphasia can experience PTG throughout

Background Chronic severe Wernicke’s aphasia has a poor prognosis and is challenging to treat. Furthermore, even when there is potential for improvement, formal assessments using accuracy scores only to measure changes in language abilities after treatment may not be sensitive enough to capture improvements. Less-constrained language tasks, such as discourse analysis, may be more sensitive to measuring

ABSTRACT Background It has been demonstrated that reference to the past is difficult for individuals with agrammatic aphasia, leading to the formulation of the PAst DIscourse LInking Hypothesis (PADILIH). Many of the previous studies have focused on Indo-European languages, in which time reference is expressed through verb inflection. The current study examined the PADILIH in Thai, a language that

Background Many people with aphasia have a strong desire to participate in reading activities despite persistent reading challenges. Digital reading devices and text-to-speech (TTS) technology are increasing in popularity and have the potential to help people with aphasia. Systematic investigation of modifiable TTS features provides a means of exploring this potential. Aims This study’s aim was to

Background Spoken word retrieval therapy forms an integral part of aphasia therapy. Due to the range of therapy options and variations, drawing clear-cut conclusions from the evidence base can be challenging. Aims This paper consolidates recent findings (2008–2018), pertinent to spoken word-finding interventions. Specifically, we are interested in aphasia interventions: (1) that target single-word

Background Improved discourse production is a priority for all key stakeholders in aphasia rehabilitation. A Cochrane review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for aphasia found speech and language therapy treatment to be effective for improving the ability to communicate in everyday interaction. However, this large-scale review did not focus exclusively on treatment for discourse production and

Background Aphasia is a devastating disorder occurring in more than 30% of stroke victims. Speech and language therapy (SLT) is the treatment of choice for post-stroke aphasia (PSA) in acute and chronic periods, yet benefits are limited and gains in several language domains are not always translated to both untreated deficits and functional communication. Therefore, pharmacotherapy and non-invasive

ABSTRACT Background The impact of stroke and aphasia has been recognised as a family problem for many years with studies highlighting spouses’ need for information at different times along the recovery journey, for practical and emotional support, recognition, and respite. In particular, the decision-making around discharge from hospital, or planning for rehabilitation, is not always collaborative

Background A reduced quality of life for people with aphasia is in part associated with their loss of friendships and social networks. Twitter offers people with communication disability a way to exchange information, develop and maintain their social networks and connections, and participate in society online. However, little is known about how Twitter is used to exchange information about aphasia

Background Speech and language therapists in Gulf Arabic countries still rely on informal aphasia and/or translated western-language assessments to assess the language proficiency of people with aphasia. However, these tests are not sensitive to the linguistic and cultural features of the Arabic language, which may lead to inaccurate diagnosis. This paper describes the preliminary development and psychometric

Background: The complexity of speech motor control, and the incomplete conceptualisation of phases in the transformation of the speech code from linguistic symbols to a code amenable to a motor system, tend to obscure the understanding of acquired apraxia of speech (AOS). The four-level framework (FLF) of speech sensorimotor control suggests the differentiation between speech motor planning, programming

Background: Guidelines to support accessible goal setting with stroke survivors with aphasia are lacking. Aims: This review aimed to (i) determine the communication barriers and facilitators relevant to accessible goal setting for stroke survivors with aphasia and (ii) propose recommendations for accessible goal setting practice. Design: We conducted a narrative literature review incorporating a systematic

Background: Up to 60% of people with aphasia experience persistent word-finding difficulties into the chronic stage, starting six months after the stroke. Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) and Phonological Components Analysis (PCA) are two common word-finding interventions that use the generation of semantic features for SFA (e.g. category) and phonological features for PCA (e.g. first sound) to improve

ABSTRACT Background: Usual care is the term used to describe everyday practice in the management of a client within a profession. The knowledge of the tasks used in therapy and key therapeutic processes used within these treatments, provides critical information about if and how the therapy works. The Very Early Rehabilitation in SpEech Randomised Controlled Trial (VERSE RCT) had three arms with therapists

Background: The Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA) model and its partner, the Gradient Order DIVA (GODIVA) model, provide neurobiologically grounded, computational accounts of speech motor control and motor sequencing, with applications for the study and treatment of neurological motor speech disorders. Aims: In this review, we provide an overview of the DIVA and GODIVA models and how

Background: Lexical access in bilinguals can be influenced by the demands that different interactional contexts pose on cognitive control processes. However, how varying cognitive control demands impact lexical access in bilingual persons with aphasia (BPWA) remains unclear. Verbal fluency tasks may provide valuable insights into the interplay between cognitive control and lexical access in BPWA by

Background: Spiritual aspects of aphasia rehabilitation are poorly understood, though identified within adjustment. Existing spiritual health assessments have not been used with people with aphasia, and no structured program to facilitate intervention has been documented, despite acknowledgements that spirituality is important in health and wellbeing and distinct from quality of life and mental health

(2020). Primary Progressive Aphasia and Other Frontotemporal Dementias: Diagnosis and Treatment of Associated Communication Disorders. Aphasiology. Ahead of Print.

Background: Stroke-like migraine attacks after radiation therapy – also known as SMART syndrome – constitute a rare condition characterised by headache, seizures, vision abnormalities, hemiparesis, and aphasia. The condition usually resolves within a few days or weeks with little to no residual impairment; however, recovery in some cases is protracted and incomplete. Aims: The purpose of this case

ABSTRACT Background: Stroke causes communication impairments but we lack the real-world population-level data needed to inform inpatient and community services. Aims: To establish prevalence of aphasia and dysarthria within inpatient stroke survivors, describe those affected, the amount of therapy they receive and their outcomes. Methods & Procedures: Secondary analysis of data from the Sentinel Stroke

(2020). The value of “communication strategies” in the treatment of aphasia. Aphasiology. Ahead of Print.

(2020). Acquired language disorders. A case-based approach (3rd edition). Aphasiology. Ahead of Print.

Background: Everyday communication often occurs in situations that pose high attentional and social demands. People with aphasia have reported perceiving greater challenge communicating in these situations, but more specific information about these challenges could help clinicians and researchers work toward more meaningful intervention outcomes and increased life participation. Aims: To explore the

ABSTRACT Background: Written language impairments are common in Alzheimer’s disease and reduced syntactic complexity in written discourse has been observed decades before the onset of dementia. The validity of average dependency distance (ADD), a measure of syntactic complexity, in cognitive decline needs to be studied further to evaluate its clinical relevance. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine

Background: The pattern of post-stroke aphasia in Spanish speakers has not previously been reported. Furthermore, the association between aphasia type and demographic variables is not clearly understood. Aims: To investigate the incidence and type of aphasia in first-ever acute stroke during the early chronic and later chronic periods in native Spanish speakers and the effect of demographic variables

Background Language can be viewed and analysed at many levels. One of them is, “language in use” or discourse. A complex system of cognitive and linguistic processes is required for the performance of discourse; any deficits at this system level can impair the use of language. Studies have shown impaired performance of discourse in individuals with Wernicke’s aphasia (WA). In this condition the participant

Background Conversation Partner schemes are increasingly used as a way of addressing the psychosocial and emotional consequences of aphasia, providing opportunities for people with aphasia to engage in authentic conversation and to develop social relationships. As yet, there are no outcome measures, that are theorised to match what is expected to change and how such changes are best identified, and

Rationale: In the approach presented here, adult apraxia of speech (AoS) is understood as a disorder affecting the language-specific motor patterns a speaker acquires during childhood and adolescence. The phonological factors that influence articulatory accuracy in AoS reflect the relative vulnerability of their accompanying motor planning variables to apraxic impairment, depending on the extent to

Background Neglect dyslexia (ND) is a reading disorder that impairs the left visual field. The Left periphery (LP) is the highest layer of the extended syntactic structure, and it represents the interface between communicative intention and syntactic realization. Topic and Focus are the two central projections of the LP. Sentences involving either Topic or Focus display marked structures in which a

Background: Whilst reading difficulties are a common feature of aphasia, there has been limited consideration of the impact of these difficulties on how people with aphasia experience reading in their everyday lives. Previous studies, using semi-structured interviews, have highlighted the need to consider reading from the perspective of the individual due to the complexity of factors influencing reading

Background: This paper presents the pilot testing of an online professional development (PD) course for New Zealand (NZ) speech-language therapists (SLTs) working with Māori with stroke-related communication disorders (predominantly aphasia). Taking a public health approach and focusing on the context of Māori as Indigenous peoples in a colonised society, the course lays the foundation for aphasia

Background: Aphasia is one of the frequent consequences of stroke. The Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) is a commonly used instrument for measuring the quality of life in persons with aphasia following stroke. Aims: The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the SAQOL-39, and (2) to examine the agreement between the